Jump to content

Forte II's - not enough power?


Jaq

Recommended Posts

This won't be an easy depiction of what I am experiencing... I

have enjoyed listening to the Forte II's as my mains for the last year

and a half. They replaced the legend series KLF10's. After

I recently moved, the width of the Forte's were too wide. So I

used the KLF10's as my mains again. WOW, I fell in love with them

all over again. The Forte's were the smoothest sounding speaker I

have ever heard, but now, I am in limbo.

I know that these two sets of speakers are very efficient BUT the Forte

II's just don't seem to really punch the bass, probably due to the

passive radiator. The ported KLF10's just dominate any action

movie hands down. I don't use a sub woofer, never really cared

for them but now I am considering a few things:

1. I use a yammie RX-V800 (110wpc in stereo or 100x5? - something

like that), powers the KLF10's very nicely but just doesn't push the

bass through the Forte's. Should I get an amplifier to extend

more power to the Forte's?

2. Maybe I could use a good, solid sub-woofer to make up for that punch?

Or maybe I just prefer the KLF10 sound and should stick with them...

Thank you for taking yer time to make sense out of my non-sense.

Any advice? I hate to bare the thought of selling my Forte II's

as it took me over a year to find them in excellent condition.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You said that the Forte II's were the smoothest, but the KLF-10's had the bass you liked for action movies. Interesting enough. Both speakers dig deep but there is a qualitative difference in how they dig to your ears in your set up in that room etc. Do you listen to music more, or watch movies (action) more? Do you have a center speaker and surrounds or are you speaking strictly in terms of stereo? I wish I had the experience of A/Bing with the klf-10's but I don't. I do have a Forte II mains and surround with an academy center and have always thought of a sub as a nice addition as long as it goes REAL DEEP, because there seems to be plenty of bass for the money so far. Don't get rid of your forte's, you will regret it, unless of course you sell them to me at a favorable price! Your location is listed as LA, which in this part of the woods could mean Louisiana or it may mean Los Angeles. If it is the former I could drive there no problem and get those pesky Forte II's off your hands.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I had to say which I listen to more, it would have to be movies with

a minor in music. Rock, some alternative, some r&b, country,

LOL all around different music types.

I don't have a complete setup, no center. Always enjoyed phantom

center over an actual center but that could have been because of the

centers I have tried in my setup. Yamaha pos, Klispch C7 (no

bass, sealed box, probably would have been fixed with a sub) and a

Boston that I borrowed from a buddy. The RC7 looks nice, being

rear ported, mid and bass woofer separately. Sounds too good to

be true. Haven't heard one bad thing about it.

A good friend of mine has a huge 15" sub, Klipsch, not sure the model

but a $1500 sub or at least so he tells me. It rocks the house

and sounds excellent in his setup. I just don't want to spend

that kind of money for something that doesn't suit my tastes. The

first sub I owned was a Dahlquist 12", downward firing. Not the

best brand but it hit pretty low. Gave it to my brother becuase

of an arguement we had over audio and how important it was to have

excellent quality speakers. But he didn't get new speakers after

he installed the sub behind the couch, now that his audio issues were

fixed. LOL And I am out a decent sub :(

I don't like rumbling, just sharp and punchy. When a shotgun or a

.45 is fired, I want to feel it in my chest as if I was on the

receiving end. With the KLF10's, I am 90% there. Slightly

left wanting.

I am in Ontario (east of Los Angeles by about 45 miles). Wish my

living room was wide enough to really A/B the two. I am confident

that I like the liveliness of the KLF10's better without a sub.

Just watched Star Wars III and oh man! But for music, the Forte

II's are just a smidget more full sounding.

Thanks for the feedback!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A sub will definetly augment your forte's to get that sound you desire...and it will dramatically improve your movie enjoyment too. However, do not go with a less quality sub as it will just muddy things up. If you're not willing to shell out $1000, then I would suggest going the DIY route...but even then you'll be looking at spending more than $500.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been shopping for speakers,(fortes,heresys) and have found the fortes to be alittle overpowering in the mid range. This is with all settings at 0db flat. I have owned 2 ways for so long, I find 3ways to be louder in the mids, but I'm told that's normal with Klipsch because the horns.Wouldn't turning up your bass control a notch or two balance the sound without having to buy a Sub? I believe you have enough power already, and there are a couple of free things you can do to better your sound, speaker placement, a few adjustments, and advice from the forum should (could) be enough. If all else fails you could then buy a Sub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remember, Fort'es are sensitive to placement, moving them an inch or two sometimes makes a big difference. I am running Fort'e 1s as mains and they are set to small with a sub. It sounds fantastic.

Why not come over and take a listen, can't hurt! I am just south of Riverside, just a stones throw from you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've gotta agree about placement. I've never owned a PR, but a buddy of mine has a pair of Forte I's. These babies were so finiky(spelling), that we aimed them on a 45 about 18" from the corner, then placed a small couch pillow in the corner behind them. This improved the base a bunch.

A word of caution, what worked in that room a long time ago, may not be your answer, just play with them a little.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't sweat it. I had Forte II's and a KSW-150 for 10 years before I figured it out.

The specs show the FII's going down to 32hz, and the KSW-150 to 31hz and this didn't make sense because in my system the FII's didn't come close to producing the bass the 150 did. That is, until I found a better amp. Tried a couple receivers before going entry level separates and that still didn't do it.

You need a good amp. By that I mean a clean amp with real power. 200 watts of rcvr power is nothing compared to 150 clean watts of Bryston/Mac/McCormick (insert brand here). Even a 60 watt tube amp will show most HT rcvrs to the curb.

Once they were driven by a good amp I found out that they really do go down to 32hz, and I sold the KSW-150 because it didn't go any lower than the Fortes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You all have been a tremendous amount of help! Very

thorough. I hope I have explained myself well. The Forte's

are producing bass, just not as accurate and hard/deep punch.

I will attempt to arrange them closer/angled in the corners to double check that I didn't miss anything.

Excellent feedback guys!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have a chance to try a more powerful amp with the Forte's, you should. It might be the cure you're looking for. Many amps don't really deliver their rated output with all channels driven - I imagine your Yamaha is the same (nothing against it - most HTR's don't).

I was using my Denon AVR rated at 110wpc to drive my Fortes. (I have no idea what it really delivered with all channels driven.) It sounded nice. I then inserted an Acurus 200x3 (which is bench tested to deliver more like 300+ WPC) and it took the bass to a new level - much more authoritative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...